Parts
Here's a list of the parts I used in my system build, along with ratings for performance, noise, and quality of documentation.Antec P182 (case):
performance--7
documentation--5
In terms of "performance" for a case, I mean the ease of installation. Yes, it's largely my own fault for using a long power supply and graphics card, but many people are going to be using those same kinds of components, and this case isn't really a good choice if you are. Also, if you want to use this case, I highly suggest a modular power supply, because space for cables can be tight, and you want to be able to avoid any unnecessary clutter. Documentation wasn't great, but case documentation usually isn't.
If I had it to do over, I would have heeded Loyd Case's review at Extreme Tech on the Lian Li PC-K1.
Nexus D12SL-12 (fan):
performance--7
noise--10
Incredibly quiet, even though they don't create the airflow of the Noctua.
Noctua NF-S12-1200 (fan):
performance--9
noise--9
Much better airflow than the Nexus, and only slightly louder.
EVGA 132-BL-E758-A1 X58 (motherboard):
performance--10
documentation--10
This board has been very stable, it's an excellent overclocker, and the documentation is unbelievably detailed. I am blown away by the level of support EVGA provides in their forums, and I'd highly recommend this board.
With one caveat. If you're building a system and you're going to use XP, I'm still not sure about that IDE emulation mode in the BIOS that I mentioned in the previous post. With Vista, it's fine. And if you do have any problems, like I said, the support is terrific.
Zalman ZM850-HP (power supply):
performance--10
noise--10
documentation--6
The documentation is only average, but this power supply is just freaking amazing. I literally can't hear it when the case is closed, and I can only barely hear it when the case is open. There are also a TON of cables, but many of them are modular--there's a base set (which is fine for an average build), and a ton of connectors on the back if you need to add more (with extra cables included in the box). All in all, a phenomenal piece of hardware.
Intel Core i7 920 (CPU):
performance--9
heat--7
documentation--9
This isn't the highest clocked Core i7 you can buy, but it's still ridiculously fast. Plus, it's one of the best CPU's for overclocking in history--the stock speed is 2.66GHz, but many people are running up to 4GHz and beyond with only air cooling. That's an incredible overclock.
Corsair XMS 3 x 2GB DDR3 (memory):
Not much to say about this, except that it works.
Intel X-25M 80GB SSD (hard drive):
performance--10
noise--10
heat--10
documentation--10
This drive absolutely screams speedwise, it's whisper quiet, and it generates very little heat.
Asus ENGTX260 (graphics card):
performance--8
noise--9
documentation--9
I chose this card specifically due to this review at SilentPCreview, which indicated that the Asus card was particularly quiet compared to its peers. So far, I'm really pleased.
That's it. I can't remember the model number of the DVD-RW drive (it's Samsung, and it's fairly quiet). I'm using onboard audio for now, because I wanted to reduce complexity as much as possible (ha--that worked out really well).
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